Biotech cotton raises farm income by Rs 558 cr

PTIFeb 22, 2006, 09.06pm IST

NEW DELHI: Adoption of insect-resistant biotech cotton variety has raised farm income in India by Rs 558 crore, an agro economist said.

"The adoption of biotech cotton variety has resulted in increased level of income for Indian farmers in tune with the global trend," said Graham Brookes, Director of UK-based consulting firm PG Economics.

Insect-resistant cotton has increased farm income by 5.7 billion dollar since commericalisation across the world.

The finding about this increased economic returns to Indian farmers was published in a leading farm science journal.

He said biotech crops have made a significant impact on the global economy and environment, decreasing the reliance on pesticides and reducing the environment footprint associated with pesticide use by 14 per cent.

"Since 1996, adoption of biotech crops has contributed to greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture and decreased pesticide spraying," he said.

Brooks happens to be one of the authors in the study 'GM crops: The Global Socio-economic and environmental impact - the first nine years 1996-2004,' which reported that biotech crops contributed significantly to reduced greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural practices.

This reduction results from decrease fuel use in the past nine years, and additional soil carbon sequestration because of reduced ploughing or improved conservation tillage associated with biotech crops.